Tonight Graham… I’m going to be a Productivity Ninja
“Time management is dead… long live attention management”
So says Graham Allcott in his brilliant, useful and potentially time-saving new book How to be a Productivity Ninja.
Graham is the founder of Think Productive and provided a great training session for On Purpose this year. He has written a practical guide to surviving in an “age of constant connection and information overload”, where so many things constantly vie for our attention: colleagues, emails, phone calls, text messages, instant messengers, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest. Its a list that grows and grows and stops us from getting things done and having a real impact.
Graham’s ninja analogy is clear and thought-provoking. As a taster, here’s my favourite three ninja characteristics:
A. Zen-like calm
A ninja realises that “decisions made during periods of panic are likely to be the ones that we want to forget about”. Instead, seek calmness and clarity through having good trusted systems in place to capture and utilise information, have realistic expectations, keep well physically and “be prepared, organised and ready for when times get rough”.
B. Stealth & camouflage
Disappear and “Go Dark” like a Ninja in order to get in the zone and focus on the bigger more demanding challenges. Escape to a productivity den for a few hours, where you can stop checking emails, sign-out of Skype, and turn the Blackberry off. It’ll then be possible to find clarity and get a few hours to focus on the tricky decisions, what the book calls the “big rocks”.
C. Mindfulness
The “Lizard Brain” represents the part of the brain that is about survival, blending in and not making a fuss… the uncreative and safe part of you that says “Stop. Don’t do it. It’s risky”. Be aware of the limiting aura of the “Lizard Brain” — know when to ignore it and embrace the risks, creativity and the now.
“No Gurus, no superheroes”
The book encourages you to take a ninja-esque approach to your email, project management and meetings through a range of observations and practical exercises. Graham stresses that he’s no guru nor is he encouraging readers to try (and fail) to be a superheroes… it’s about celebrating the fact that behind every great success lies a human being, like me and you.
The Ninja analogy also reminded me of the work of The Misfit Economy — looking at the unorthodox and fringe for inspiration to drive innovation. Being part the Co-Innovation team at Interface it’s important to find fresh ideas, often from surprising places whether through biomimicry or different cultures around the world. For more information on the Misfit Economy watch this:
If you needed one final reason to check it out, all proceeds from the e-book version go to the inspiring Read International who recently appointed our own Meera Chadha as a trustee.
